Infosys, TCS invest in Barack Obama’s ‘Computer Science for All’ plan

India’s top software exporters have joined the likes of Google and Salesforce to support Obama’s $4-bn ‘Computer Science for All’ initiative.Neha Alawadhi | ET Bureau | February 01, 2016, 08:08 IST

India’s top software exporters have joined the likes of Google and Salesforce to support US President Barack Obama’s just announced $4-billion ‘Computer Science for All’ initiative that aims to dramatically increase the number of children with access to computer science training in the US and build a more technologically advanced nation.

Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys have made investments as part of a public private partnership through a National Science Foundation (NSF), which will put in $120 million to support and train computer science teachers in schools, a statement from the White House said late on Saturday night.

“Infosys Foundation USA will be a founding member of this public-private collaboration with a $1million philanthropic donation, and, as an initial participant, Tata Consultancy Services is providing additional support in the form of grants to teachers in 27 US cities. This collaboration will ultimately provide opportunities for as many as 2,000 middle- and highschool teachers to deepen their understanding of CS,” the statement added.

In September last year, Indian IT industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) released a report on ‘Contributions of India’s tech industry to the US economy’, according to which Indian IT companies invested more than $2 billion in 2011-2013 in the US, paid $22.5 billion in taxes and supported more than 411,000 direct and indirect jobs in that country.

The Indian IT industry has lately been at the receiving end of the US tightening its visa norms and fees, which is likely to affect the movement of skilled IT workers to the US. As the US heads towards presidential elections later this year, the $146-billion Indian software industry has also been accused of taking away jobs of American workers.

Nasscom has for long held that the Indian IT industry has consistently invested in science, technology, engineering and math education in the US, and gives back to the community through many philanthropic efforts made by its member companies.

In addition to the contributions mentioned in the White House statement, Wipro has made an $8 million investment to support STEM education fellowships for teachers, and TCS has put in $35 million for a new technology building at Carnegie Mellon University, as well as for scholarships for outstanding students.

Cartoon Network, Google and Salesforce-.org have also announced more than $60 million investment in computer science and STEM education.